bearnybear Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 I'm doing an experiment with aluminum wires, and when I put them in saltwater, they starting growing these orangish blobs. Then, in regular water, they looked darker in some parts. In air, obviously nothing happened. Can anyone explain what the heck happened with the wires in saltwater because I'm clueless right now? :confused::confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starfire09 Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 The reaction you see is Aluminum metal in the wire reacting with the NaCl salt in the water: Al + 3NaCl ---> Al(Cl)3 + 3Na The strange thing you saw was the production of Aluminum Chloride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max.yevs Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 are you sure they were aluminum wires? not steel? and not the type used for soldering, which are tin/lead? well regardless of what metal you used, i doubt you got chloride, if anything you probably got oxide- i.e. aluminum oxide because salt helps facilitate rusting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaeroll Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 are you sure they were aluminum wires? not steel? and not the type used for soldering, which are tin/lead? well regardless of what metal you used, i doubt you got chloride, if anything you probably got oxide- i.e. aluminum oxide because salt helps facilitate rusting. I highly doubt it's oxide - aluminium is usually coated in a layer of oxide under standard conditions, due to its reactivity. Aluminium isn't orange so I assume its oxide isn't either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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